Alu Posto - Bengali Baby Potatoes in Poppy Seed Sauce

Alu Posto

A favourite at the Bengali table, Alu Posto is surprisingly easy to make. White poppy seeds are soaked in boiling water for an hour or as long as it takes to come to room temperature. This softens the seeds sufficiently to blend to a smooth paste. 

Variety of Baby Potatoes

Microwaved for a quick three minutes, these little potatoes cook just enough to be easy to peel. The dish comes together very quickly and is so delicious!

Stir-Fried Baby Potatoes

Hasselback Potato

Hasselback Potatoes

This makes an excellent side for dinner and is so easy to prepare! If your family likes baked potatoes, this will soon become a favorite. One way to speed up the baking process is to leave the skin on for maximum nutrition, prick each potato all over with a fork, rub the surface with oil, salt and pepper and microwave one at a time for 2 minutes. The potatoes will be semi-cooked which also makes it easier to score with a knife. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, sprinkle the necessary ingredients over top and in the crevices and bake for another 10 minutes until the cheese melts. Tastes yummy!

Half a Hasselback Potato Served with
Salisbury Steak & Cranberry Chutney

Ingredients

1 russet potato, scrubbed under running water

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

salt & pepper to taste
dash of garlic powder
dash of onion powder

2 Tbsp. grated cheese

1 Tbsp. bacon bits (optional for vegetarians)

1 stalk scallions/green onions, minced

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425*F & place a rack on a baking sheet.
2. Prick potato with a fork on all sides.
3. Rub with oil, salt & pepper and microwave on high power for 2 minutes.
4. Remove from microwave & score with a serrated knife 2/3 of the way down.
5. Season with salt, pepper, garlic & onion powder.
6. Place on a rack in preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes.
7. Sprinkle with cheese, bacon bits (if using) and bake another 10 minutes.
8. Garnish with scallions and serve immediately.

Chicken Fajita Casserole

Chicken Fajita Casserole

This deconstruction of a chicken fajita meal combines all its ingredients into a hot & bubbling casserole. I had to come up with something quick that would also appeal to our grandsons (6-8 year-olds) and this met the criteria, especially because we had chicken fajita strips in the freezer. The young boys and their grandparents enjoyed scooping it up with Doritos and heated flour tortillas.

INGREDIENTS

1 pkg. (16 oz./1 lb.) fajita chicken strips, cubed or shredded
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced new potatoes
1 can (10.5 oz.) Campbell's cream of chicken soup
2 Tbsp. low-fat sour cream
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. red pepper flakes
1 pkg. (16 oz./2 cups) reduced fat grated cheese
6 stalks green onions, whites only chopped

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Set aside 1 Tbsp. grated cheese for garnish.
3. Mix remaining ingredients together and place in an 8" x 8" Pyrex dish.
4. Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes, garnish with grated cheese.
5. Return to oven and bake for 5 minutes more until cheese melts.
6. Serve hot with Doritos or tortillas.

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Stir-Fried Russet and Sweet Potatoes Sprinkled with White Poppy Seeds

Alu Misti Alu Posto Bhaja

White poppy seeds (a.k.a. "posto" in the Bengali language) in its pasted form is commonly used with potatoes as in Alu Posto and many other vegetables (with or without shrimp). It's an expensive ingredient and tastes just as good when stir-fried vegetables are sprinkled with white poppy seeds. 

Here russet and sweet potatoes have been stir-fried and sprinkled with white poppy seeds. They add a crunch to the smooth texture of these potatoes. I've deliberately kept it simple so that the taste of the vegetables dominate this dish.

This stir-fry is light and delicious when accompanied by toasted tortillas or chapatis for lunch or served with steamed Basmati rice as a side dish at dinner.

Baked Herbed Cod Dinner

Baked Cod with Green Beans Almondine
 & Pan Fried Potatoes
on a Bed of Basmati Rice

Who knew cod could taste so good? 

I generally avoid buying cod because they're pretty tasteless, fall apart easily and doesn't seem to be able to withstand simmering in a gravy. These fillets, however, were thick, meaty and very fresh. They turned out to be succulent and flaked easily after baking. Any fish fillet will work in this recipe.

Stir-Fried Catfish Fillets and Potatoes

Magur Maach Alu Makha Makha

I had a few pieces of catfish fillet in the freezer so decided to add half a russet potato and rustle up a quick stir-fried dish. This goes well with both rice or Indian bread.

Cauliflower & Potatoes in White Poppy Seed Sauce

Phool Kopi Alu Posto

White poppy seed sauce (known in Bengali as 'posto') is very versatile and can be used to dress practically any vegetable. Adding a little green chili to the poppy seed paste gives this dish quite a zing!

Stir-Fried Beet Greens with Baby Beets & Potatoes

It was a pleasure to find a bundle of baby beets with the greens attached among the groceries my husband brought home the other day. The greens were very fresh, so I used all of it from the baby beets, attached stems and the greens. Knowing how the greens reduce when cooked, I added a russet potato to add bulk. This is a very simple preparation that can be used with any spinach or greens. Bengalis refer to any and all greens as shaak (spinach), including squash greens, beet greens and all other edible greens.

Stir-Fried Carrots & Potatoes Flavored with Dried Fenugreek

Gajar, Alu Aur Kasuri Methi Ki Sabzi

I've made this vegetable preparation before using fresh dill which tasted wonderful! The original recipe used fresh fenugreek greens which I replaced with the dried form.

Chicken & Potatoes Divine

This casserole took about an hour to prepare which includes the 40 minutes of baking time. It is a twist on Chicken Divan which uses broccoli instead of the potatoes used here. I used skinless boneless chicken thighs, but I'm sure bone-in thighs would taste even better. 

Bacon Ranch Potatoes

The inspiration for these potatoes came from Oklahoma Natives on Facebook, whose recipe I adapted to ingredients that were available in my kitchen. For example, we always have fat-free half & half in our refrigerator, so that's what went into making this dish.  It was a big hit at our Thanksgiving table!

Ingredients:

6 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
1 (10 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
1¼ cups milk
1 envelope Hidden Valley dry ranch dressing mix
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. Oscar Mayer real bacon bits or 2 bacon strips, cooked & crumbled

Directions:

1.   Place potatoes in a saucepan and add cold water to cover.

2.   Bring to a boil and simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes.

3.   Drain potatoes and place in a greased 9” x 13” baking dish.

4.   Stir soup, milk, salad dressing mix, ½ cup cheese, salt and pepper, in a bowl.

5.   Pour mixture over potatoes and bake, uncovered, at 350°F for 25 minutes.

6.   Remove from oven, sprinkle with bacon and remaining cheese.

7.   Cover and set aside for 10 minutes or until cheese melts.

Cauliflower and Potatoes in Yogurt Sauce

Doi Phool Kopi

This was one of Mum's preparations for cauliflower that we all loved. Unfortunately, I don't have her recipe and all I remember is that it was white, devoid of all colour such as the yellow imparted by turmeric. So I tried to stick with all white ingredients and avoided the temptation to add tomatoes or turmeric.

Chicken Keema Mattar - Ground Chicken with Peas and Potatoes

There are so many ways to prepare keema curry, but this one is really delicious because of the addition of Shan Pulao/Biryani mix, which is available in Indian grocery stores throughout the United States & Canada.

Chicken Curry with Potatoes in an Onion and Tomato Gravy

Chicken Do Piaza

Can you believe chicken with just a few ingredients can be so delectable? The main ingredients in this dish are chicken, potatoes, onion and tomato paste. I like using boneless, skinless chicken thighs in this dish, but use your choice of chicken pieces. Bone-in chicken thighs & legs work well too. 'Do Piaza' means 'onion two ways' which refers to the puréed onions used in the beginning of the cooking process and the fried onions that are added at the end as a garnish. If time is an issue, instead of blanching the onion and blending with ginger and garlic, the onion could be finely diced and the ginger & garlic grated, then mixed together with the tomato paste.

Loaded Baked Potato And Chicken Casserole

Loaded Baked Potato & Chicken Casserole

The inspiration piece at the link above is a healthy recipe. I made a few changes to pump up the flavour with the addition of fajita chicken strips and red pepper flakes. My recipe is much simpler and more straightforward because I've made use of several pre-cooked, ready-made products such as fajita chicken strips and diced potatoes which cut down the baking time by more than half. Before I added the sour cream to the casserole, it looked kind of dry. The outcome of this entire experiment could not have been more successful. It is delicious!

Cauliflower Peas & Potato Curry

Dry Cauliflower Curry

A stir-fried vegan dish, this is hearty enough to serve as a main dish. The cauliflower florets & potatoes are browned prior to combining with the spices and sauce. Browning the cauliflower brings out the true flavour of the vegetable. Without browning, the cauliflower is quite bland. Usually served as a side dish, it goes well with steamed Basmati rice or any type of Indian bread.

Ingredients:
1 cauliflower, cut in florets
1 russet potato, cubed
1 cup frozen peas
4 Tbsp. extra light olive oil
½ tsp. shah jeera or cumin seeds
2 medium onions, cubed
2 tsp. ginger paste
1 tsp. garlic paste
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 – 3 green chilies
½ tsp. garam masala powder
Salt to taste
1 tsp. ghee

Directions: 
1. Boil water and blanch onions for 2 minutes, strain and set both aside.
2. Puree onions, chilies, onion, ginger, garlic and tomato pastes in a blender.
3. Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat and fry cauliflower until golden.
4. Remove cauliflower and set aside, then do the same with potato cubes.
5. Heat oil in the same pan and add cumin seeds.
6. When cumin starts to sizzle, add onion puree and simmer until oil resurfaces.
7. Add reserved hot water, bring to a boil and add cauliflower & potatoes.
8. Cover and simmer until potatoes are cooked.
9. Add frozen peas, adjust salt to taste, cover and simmer for five minutes.
10. Sprinkle garam masala powder over the cauliflower, stir and remove from heat.
11. Garnish with ghee and serve.

Cauliflower Curry in Tomato Gravy

The same recipe with gravy. Added 1 cup of hot vegetable broth at the end and simmered with 1/4 cup tomato puree for the gravy.

Kashmiri Rogan Josh

This dish was inspired by a couple of recipes posted on Facebook, but I modified it to suit my family's taste. I reduced the amount of Kashmiri mirch and added 2 Roma tomatoes instead and also added potatoes because of our love of meat and potatoes :) 

I was tempted to cook this in the pressure cooker, but decided to take the traditional route and cook it long and slow on top of the stove.  It took a total of 1-1/2 hours to cook.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. baby lamb leg, cut in stew pieces

1 Russet potato, cubed (optional)

4 Tbsp. vegetable oil

2 cinnamon sticks

4 black cardamoms

2 star anise

2 medium (Roma) tomatoes, chopped

½ tsp. hing (asafoetida)

1 level tsp. dried ginger powder

1 heaped tsp. Kashmiri mirch

½ tsp. black pepper powder

½ tsp. cardamom powder

1 cup boiling chicken broth

1 level tsp. roasted fennel seed powder

1 tsp. garam masala

salt to taste

Directions:

1. Wash lamb pieces and rub well with salt.
2. Heat oil over medium-high heat and temper with hing, cinnamon sticks,    black cardamom and star anise.
3. Add lamb pieces, fry until oil resurfaces, add tomatoes and again cook until oil resurfaces. This step should take about half an hour.
4. Reduce heat to medium, stir in ginger, black pepper, Kashmiri mirch and cardamom powder.
5. Stir well and add chicken broth and potatoes.
6. Cover and cook until potatoes are tender for about an hour.
7. Add fennel seed powder and garam masala, adjust salt and remove from heat.
8. Serve with rice or naan. 

Cauliflower, Potatoes & Shrimp in White Poppy Seed Sauce

Phool Kopi Alu Chingri Posto

White poppy seed sauce (known in Bengali as 'posto') is very versatile and can be used to dress practically any vegetable. The addition of black mustard seed paste and grated coconut gives it an added dimension of flavour.  And shrimp will, of course, take it up the ultimate notch! 

Ingredients

1 lb. shrimp, shelled & deveined
Paste of
   1 tsp. black mustard seeds

   2 tsp. white poppy seeds

   2 tsp. freshly grated unsweetened coconut

   2 green chillies

   Salt to taste

juice of 1 lime

2 + 4 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 tsp. nigella seeds (a.k.a. kalo jeera/kalonji)

1 cauliflower, cut into florets

1 russet potato, cut in long wedges

1 Tbsp. ginger paste

1 tsp. ghee

½ tsp. sugar

1 tsp. chopped cilantro

4 green chillies, slit

Directions

Soak black mustard seeds with salt for ½ an hour and drain.

Soak white poppy seeds in boiling water for ½ an hour. Do not drain.

Purée the paste ingredients listed above along with water poppy seeds were soaked in.

Add lime juice to the paste, stir well and set aside.

In a skillet, heat 4 Tbsp. oil & sputter nigella seeds.

Add and cook cauliflower, potatoes with ginger paste & salt until cooked.

Add shrimp and pour poppy seed paste over vegetables in skillet, cover and cook for 5 minutes.

Add sugar, adjust salt and garnish with ghee, cilantro & green chillies.

Serve with steamed Basmati rice.

Chicken, Cauliflower & Potatoes with Spring Onions

Pyajpata, Phoolkopi Diye Murgir Jhol

This dish was inspired by the recipe submitted by a member of Kitchen Raagas, a Bengali foodie group on Facebook.  You can find the original recipe here.  I followed the recipe closely, except that I used boneless & skinless chicken thighs instead of skin-on, bone-in chicken legs.  For those of you who do not have access to Facebook or don't belong to the Kitchen Raagas group, the recipe is provided below.

Ingredients:
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken legs
1 cauliflower, cut in florets
2 russet potatoes, cut in bite-size pieces
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
2 tsp. Kashmiri mirch or chilli powder
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 large onions, chopped
Make a paste -
   1 large onion, chopped
   6-8 garlic cloves, chopped
   2" piece ginger
2 tsp. coriander powder
4 Tbsp. vegetable oil
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp. sugar
1 bunch green onions,cut in 1" pieces
5 green chillies

Directions:

1. Toss cauliflower & potatoes with salt and fry until golden. Set aside.
2. Wash chicken legs and dry with paper towels.
3. Heat oil over medium heat, add chopped onions and fry until translucent.
4. Add chicken, salt, turmeric & coriander, stir-fry until chicken is golden.
5. Add paste & tomatoes and stir-fry for a few minutes.
6. Turn heat down to low, cover & simmer on low heat until oil resurfaces.
7. Pour hot water into pan, stir well and bring to a boil.
8. Return cauliflower & potatoes to pan, add sugar, salt to taste & stir well.
9. Cover & simmer on low heat until everything in pan is tender.
10. Garnish with green onions & chilies before removing from heat.

Serve with steamed rice, chapati or naan.

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Thanksgiving Dinner, clockwise from top:
Easy Chicken Gravy
Jellied Cranberry Sauce
 Onion, Carrot & Celery Stuffing
Broasted Cauliflower & Potatoes 
Green Bean Casserole
Creamy Mashed Potatoes 
Butterball Boneless Breasts of Turkey 
Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

Servings: 16

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

5 large potatoes (Yukon Gold or Russet)                                                          

2 cups hot milk or 1 pint Fat-Free Half & Half 
½ stick butter or margarine

Salt to taste

Generous dash of pepper 

Method:

1. Peel, cut potatoes into 1” pieces and place in a large pan.
2. Cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat.
3. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until tender and drain. 
4. Mash potatoes with hot milk, butter, salt and pepper.
5. Adjust seasonings to taste.
6. Serve hot as a side dish.